Official College Football Thread

[Wedge]

Well they won't win out since Arkansas is a far superior team, however even if they do win out, the computers aren't going to let them pass Michigan. That Western Carolina game they played yesterday was too big of a hit.

 

Suppose ND beats USC (by 7 for argument's sake) and Arkansas wins out, beating Florida (again by 7 for argument's sake). Justify Arkansas in the championship game over ND.

[GoodAsGould]

Suppose ND beats USC (by 7 for argument's sake) and Arkansas wins out, beating Florida (again by 7 for argument's sake). Justify Arkansas in the championship game over ND.

 

Well you cant put ND in the championship game over Michigan... there you go. So in that scenario it would either have to be Michigan going back for a rematch or Arkansas.

[Wedge]

Well you cant put ND in the championship game over Michigan... there you go. So in that scenario it would either have to be Michigan going back for a rematch or Arkansas.

 

What about the Arkansas loss to USC? That's not important?

[AssHatSoxFan]

this whole concept of when you lose is ridiculous; people will disregard ND's loss to UM because they have gotten better since, same thing with Arkansas losing to USC

[RockRaines]

FLA or USC should have the most chance to make it to the BCS title game. Michigan had their chance at the title and couldnt get it done.

[thedoctor]

espn's bcs computer points "guru" was on this morning and suggested that if usc wins out they are pretty much a lock. if not, he seemed to like meatchicken's chances of getting a re-match and thought that the numbers would work in their favor. he pretty much said notre dame does not have a shot because they wouldn't get the nod over meatchicken.

[Chisoxfn]

I don't get it, yes it was a close game (by the scoreboard) but at no time in the game did I actually think Michigan was going to win that football game.

 

OSU was the better football team even after making mistakes and it will be an absolute JOKE if Michigan gets a rematch.

 

USC, ND or Fla/Ark should be playing. If both Fla and USC win well that will be interesting as can be because both deserve it over Michigan but I can't make a legitimate case for why either deserve it over each other.

 

And if ND wins I still think they are screwed just because of that loss to Michigan (even though we played like absolute crap with a zillion turnovers).

 

Best case for Michigan is if ND and Ark win. Even then I don't think they deserve to play OSU again. Yada Yada yada....close score, but if you watched the game unbiasly I dont think anyone can tell me that it really was that close.

 

People could say the Fiesta bowl at times last year was a close game (score wise) but as a ND fan I could tell you that we were completely outclassed by OSU and never had a chance to win that football game.

[RockRaines]

I don't get it, yes it was a close game (by the scoreboard) but at no time in the game did I actually think Michigan was going to win that football game.

 

OSU was the better football team even after making mistakes and it will be an absolute JOKE if Michigan gets a rematch.

You wont get many Michigan or underdog fans to admit it, but that is a very true statement. The 3 horrible turnovers by OSU gave Mich 10 points and still I never felt like the game was that close. They got a last min TD against the prevent defense, and still it didnt feel like they ever had a chance. Its someone else's turn to see if they can beat the best team in the land.

[IlliniKrush]

From http://bluegraysky.blogspot.com/2006_11_01...396666770305581

 

Let's do a little thought experiment. Imagine you, Sherman, and Mr. Peabody could hop into the way-back machine and journey back in time, all the way to last Friday night. Imagine observing Ohio State coach Jim Tressel being proposed the following scenario by a sportswriter, fellow coach, or BCS bigwig: Ohio State will play their next two games against Michigan. If they win both, they're the national champion. If they win one and lose one, Michigan is the national champion. What would you say if you were Tressel? What would any neutral party make of the mental capacity of the poser of the question?

 

Michigan is an outstanding team, but they do not deserve another shot at the national title. They had that shot and they lost, and it's really that simple. Head-to-head extrapolations and hypothetical "this one would beat that one" exercises don't stand up in the face of the fact that the Ohio State-Michigan game has been played and the result is not disputed. Ohio State beat Michigan. There is no reason to think the outcome of a second OSU-UM game will be any different.

 

Although the final margin on Saturday was just three points, the outcome was never in doubt, at least not after OSU scored three straight touchdowns answering UM's opening touchdown drive. From the six minute mark of the second quarter when OSU went up 21-7 until the final 2:16 of the game, UM managed to reclaim only three points of their fourteen point disadvantage, despite three Ohio State turnovers. With 2:30 left to play in the fourth quarter, the margin was 11 points and OSU had gone, essentially, into a prevent defense. Yet only as a result of an astonishing phantom pass interference call was UM was able to move the ball quickly enough to cut it to three. If the game were five minutes longer, UM would not have completed the comeback. They likely would have done what they had done all game long; let OSU walk down the field and score, and lose by ten.

 

Michigan should still have a shot at a National Championship, just not the BCS Championship. They lost a one-game playoff for their conference title and the right to play in the national title game, and should be content to go to the Rose Bowl. Once there, they can make their case that they truly are the second-best team in the country by beating Pac-10 champ USC. If they do that, and Ohio State somehow loses in the BCS Championship game, then Michigan will surely win the MNC in the eyes of the Associated Press. It was good enough for them once (I've not heard any UM fans disavow the 1997 split title), so they should have no problem with a second 1/2 title.

 

Who should play against Ohio State in the BCS Championship game? Basically, anyone but Michigan, barring a complete meltdown by all the current one-loss teams. In the order of today's latest inexplicable coaches' poll, here's how the contenders would need to disqualify themselves from consideration over Michigan:

 

* USC - By losing to either Notre Dame or UCLA.

* Florida - By losing to either FSU or Arkansas.

* Arkansas - By losing to either LSU or Florida.

* Notre Dame - By losing to USC

 

If all of these things happen and the current top 6 of the BCS gets shot to hell, then UM should get a "do over" against a team that put up over 500 yards and 42 points against them in their last game. "But Dylan," you say, "didn't Michigan beat the hell out of Notre Dame back in September?" Yes, they did. But it really doesn't matter in this context. If the situation involved a one-loss Notre Dame team and a one-loss Michigan team vying for a chance to play an undefeated opponent to whom Michigan had not already lost, then the answer would be clear and the vote would be unanimous. Michigan would go.

 

If there is any justice, the coaches and Harris voters will come to this realization as the post-game afterglow fades and will vote to send a different opponent for the Buckeyes to face in Glendale. If they insist on a UM-OSU rematch, they will provoke two possible outcomes: one in which Michigan wins and nullifies OSU's victory, making the Big Ten season a meaningless exhibition; or one in which OSU comes out, does not turn the ball over three times, and beats Michigan by three touchdowns. Both outcomes damage the spirit of the competition for the title of "National Champion" by forcing us to watch a replay of the championship game of a conference in a down year. Both outcomes provide a less satisfying result than the old bowl system would have, a system that the BCS, ostensibly, improved.

 

For those who would think this is just an anti-Michigan crusade, I'll remind you of two things. First, Notre Dame fans have no love of Ohio State. Second, Notre Dame was in this situation (for one short week) in 1993, and the sentiment was the same. You get one chance at the title. If you lose, you lose, and that's it. There are no mulligans.

 

Couldn't agree more

[RockRaines]

From http://bluegraysky.blogspot.com/2006_11_01...396666770305581

Couldn't agree more

wow, hit the nail right on the head there, especially with the sentiments about how the game went.

[whitesoxfan101]

Far superior?? What are you smoking these days?

 

Nothing, I watch football games, and Florida is a fraud, whereas Arkansas has been the most impressive team in the country outside of the Big 10 since the USC game.

 

I cant see a rematch happen at all.

 

The computers aren't going to let anybody pass Michigan other than USC though, unless the voters have a big change of heart over a team (Michigan) that doesn't play again, which they won't.

[Soxbadger]

Im unbiased as a Wisconsin fan, since both OSU and UM are rival Big 10 teams.

 

I would prefer OSU against UM to almost any other game because I believe that they are the 2 best teams in college. In a perfect scenario, this year would have been the year where OSU and UM did not play in Big 10 (although I think as a rivalry game they are gauranteed), instead OSU would have played Wisconsin or something, and both would have gone into the NC undefeated.

 

But that did not happen, and at the end of the day OSU and UM had to play at OSU.

 

See that is the first reason why UM getting a rematch is not so absurd. UM played at OSU, and lost by 3 points, which is the + or - for a home game. Yes Michigan was being beaten most of the game, but the whole "OSU committed turnovers etc" argument is bogus. That is part of the game, I could argue if only Wisconsin had not muffed a punt that we would have beaten UM and thus Wisconsin is merely 1 play away from being in the NC. But those turnovers did happen, and whether or not they were purely mental or just crap plays (ie a shotgun snap fumble) they are part of the game.

 

Second, any team that lost to UM can not be considered a better match for OSU. ND lost to UM at ND, so they are out of the picture.

 

If USC beats ND in a similar fashion to UM, then I could see USC being a legitimate 2.

 

Otherwise I have no problem with the 2 best teams playing a second time. It has happened before Florida versus FSU, where FSU beat them in the regular season and then lost in the bowl game.

 

I wonder what some OSU fans would be saying if UM had recovered the onside and won the game. Would they be so opposed to a rematch against UM, or is all of this "no rematch" talk just trying to make sure OSU wins the NC, regardless of whether they have to play the next best team in the title game.

 

I personally dont care who wins the NC as long as they are Big 10. What I do care about is watching high quality college football games. And an UM- OSU NC game would be an amazing game.

[knightni]

Don't be shocked if ND beats USC and the BCS picks Florida to play Ohio St.

Edited November 20, 2006 by knightni

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

I don't get it, yes it was a close game (by the scoreboard) but at no time in the game did I actually think Michigan was going to win that football game.

 

OSU was the better football team even after making mistakes and it will be an absolute JOKE if Michigan gets a rematch.

 

USC, ND or Fla/Ark should be playing. If both Fla and USC win well that will be interesting as can be because both deserve it over Michigan but I can't make a legitimate case for why either deserve it over each other.

 

And if ND wins I still think they are screwed just because of that loss to Michigan (even though we played like absolute crap with a zillion turnovers).

 

Best case for Michigan is if ND and Ark win. Even then I don't think they deserve to play OSU again. Yada Yada yada....close score, but if you watched the game unbiasly I dont think anyone can tell me that it really was that close.

 

People could say the Fiesta bowl at times last year was a close game (score wise) but as a ND fan I could tell you that we were completely outclassed by OSU and never had a chance to win that football game.

 

I am a Michigan fan, but if USC wins out I'd say they deserve to go. But there is no way you can justify putting ND ahead of Michigan when UM went there and won by 30. I would also put the SEC winner ahead of ND. ND's schedule just isn't up to par with past years.

[Rowand44]

I don't get it, yes it was a close game (by the scoreboard) but at no time in the game did I actually think Michigan was going to win that football game.

Not to mention that it wasn't a well played game either and I'm happy you saw it this way as well cause everything I've seen/read mentions it as just a fantastic game. It was an exciting game but both teams made so many dumb mistakes(a ridiculous amount of stupid penalties) and both defenses stunk to be perfectly honest. Michigan had so many chances and they blew it, they don't deserve a rematch.

Edited November 20, 2006 by Rowand44

[knightni]

I am a Michigan fan, but if USC wins out I'd say they deserve to go. But there is no way you can justify putting ND ahead of Michigan when UM went there and won by 30. I would also put the SEC winner ahead of ND. ND's schedule just isn't up to par with past years.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt06.htm

 

Shockingly enough... ND's schedule is tougher than Florida's and close to Ohio State's.

[Soxbadger]

Knight,

 

For Florida to win the SEC they will have to win some big games, so that will put their SOS up higher.

 

Im of the opinion the game should be UM v OSU, unless another team earns the berth.

 

Only OSU is undefeated, and of all the 1 loss teams, UM's came to the best team. I think there is a better than 50% chance of a rematch, and I think it will be one of the biggest bowl games ever.

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt06.htm

 

Shockingly enough... ND's schedule is tougher than Florida's and close to Ohio State's.

 

The sagarin ratings aren't completely accurate.

[ZoomSlowik]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt06.htm

 

Shockingly enough... ND's schedule is tougher than Florida's and close to Ohio State's.

 

Sagarin often outhinks himself coming up with these ratings. A computerized strength of schedule is simply not very useful, too many funky results come out. If Notre Dame comes out with a better strength of schedule than Florida, they should basically scrap the formula. It's still based on his ratings of teams. An 8-4 Penn State team that played a rather weak schedule somehow comes in at 23 in that system, and a 6-5 UCLA team is somehow 25. That is why ND has such a high rating. Those are simply not top-25 teams.

 

It's plain and simple, Florida has to play more dangerous teams. They've already played a 9-2 LSU team, a 10-2 Auburn team, and an 8-3 Tennessee team, with a game against 10-1 Arkansas still forthcoming. They also played two other 7-4 teams in Georgia and Kentucky. They've also only played 3 absolute dogs in Southern Miss, Central Florida, and Western Carolina (Vandy is borderline).

 

ND on the other hand has coasted for a good chunk of the season, playing 3 service acadamies, a 1-10 Stanford team, and a 2-9 UNC team. Those games against 4-8 MSU and 6-5 UCLA aren't exactly scary either. After playing Michigan way back on September 16th they haven't played a single impressive team that was a real threat to beat them (or I should say SHOULDN'T have been a real threat to beat them). I don't see how that comes out to a top-25 schedule...

Edited November 20, 2006 by ZoomSlowik

[RockRaines]

Im of the opinion the game should be UM v OSU, unless another team earns the berth.

 

Only OSU is undefeated, and of all the 1 loss teams, UM's came to the best team. I think there is a better than 50% chance of a rematch, and I think it will be one of the biggest bowl games ever.

OSU beat UM, so they shouldnt get another chance. Why should OSU have to beat Michigan TWICE to win the national title. They had their shot, and they lost.

[IlliniKrush]

OSU beat UM, so they shouldnt get another chance. Why should OSU have to beat Michigan TWICE to win the national title. They had their shot, and they lost.

Exactly. Time for someone else to get a shot, unless usc, nd, ark, and fla lose all lose another game.

 

I don't care if michigan is indeed the #2 team in the land...what's clear is they aren't #1, and that's all that matters.

 

And like Rowand, i'm sick of people touting saturday's game as the game of the century. It was far, far from it.

[Chisoxfn]

Exactly. Time for someone else to get a shot, unless usc, nd, ark, and fla lose all lose another game.

 

I don't care if michigan is indeed the #2 team in the land...what's clear is they aren't #1, and that's all that matters.

 

And like Rowand, i'm sick of people touting saturday's game as the game of the century. It was far, far from it.

The game of the century goes to the Trojans/Longhorns in last years National Championship game. Now that was an amazing game.

 

This OSU-Michigan game was good and exciting but I wouldn't call it a legendary game.

[SnB]

This OSU-Michigan game was good and exciting but I wouldn't call it a legendary game.

the game was still uncertain in the last few minutes and that's why people were calling it such a great game. Bute veryone else here is right. It was kind of a sloppy game and UM really didn't have a good shot to win that game, period.

 

The UT-USC game does win out on best football game i've ever seen, just barely beating the Miami-OSU game of 03.

[chimpy2121]

Well, Bobby continues to confuse me. Just when he starts to get people back he goes and names Drew starter against Florida. I don't understand. The team actually played well when X went in, but whatever. Bobby is the leader and I guess I gota have faith.

 

X-9/13 144 yards, 2 td, 0 int

D-5/10 34 yards, 0 td, 0 int

[WHarris1]

I really don't see how ND should be able to jump over Michigan, maybe it's just me.